retail

Amazon Unveils Dash Cart

Using a smart cart, you can check out sans cashier
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Amazon/Caper/Veeve

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First, Amazon set out to digitize brick-and-mortar shopping by filling its Go stores with cameras and sensors. Now it’s packing that tech into a shopping cart, according to an Amazon announcement yesterday.

Later this year, an Amazon grocery store in LA will pilot the Dash Cart, which uses cameras, computer vision, weight sensors, and a touchscreen interface. Using the cart, shoppers can check out sans cashier or credit card. ~Contactless for the coronavirus era~

The OG smart cart

Dash Cart sure looks like smart carts from startups Veeve and Caper. The latter has deployed carts to a few North American locations. In January, Caper CEO Lindon Gao told me the cart represents a simple way for supermarkets and stores to upgrade their technology.

From the customer’s POV, “If I could just check out from the cart, wouldn’t that make retail so much simpler?” Gao noted. He also said Caper carts increased average checkout purchases by 18%, thanks to a built-in recommendation system.

  • If Amazon deploys Dash Cart more widely, I’d expect it to also integrate a smart recommendation system.

Bottom line: Smart carts could be a cost-effective alternative to renovating an entire store. Also, my beat is converging with that of Retail Brew writer Halie LeSavage.

Keep up with the innovative tech transforming business

Tech Brew keeps business leaders up-to-date on the latest innovations, automation advances, policy shifts, and more, so they can make informed decisions about tech.

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